This substantial volume, number 18 (of 42 planned) in this benchmark series initiated by the Nature Conservancy Council, is aptly dedicated to the life and works of the late Sir James Stubblefield. The series seeks to document in detail potential sites requiring designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Many of these are to be found in the Lower Palaeozoic outcrops of England, Scotland and Wales. But, as Richard Fortey points out in his short preface, it is probably not the quality of most exposures of Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in Great Britain that has assured their place in history, but rather the concepts and ideas that sprang from them through the writings of an influential and colourful group of 19th century scientists. Although the geological literature is rich in studies of the early Palaeozoic, and our museums are packed with Cambrian and Ordovician fossils, it is the rocks themselves that form the basis for our understanding of this interval of geological time. This volume brings these rocks and their exposures sharply into the focus.

The volume itself contains 435 pages of critical information for students of the Cambrian and Ordovician systems. Adrian Rushton's general introduction sets the scene for the book as a whole, detailing the scope of the project together with an overview of the palaeogeography of this part of the world, and summarizing some key publications on fossils and palaeocommunities from Cambrian and Ordovician rocks. Cambrian stratigraphy is reviewed (Rushton) prior to an in depth look at the localities themselves in England and Wales, developed in three separate chapters (North Wales, South Wales and England). Here is explained the significance of the Harlech Dome, the importance of St. David's Peninsula and the key biotas of Comely Quarry. The treatment of each locality conforms to a standard …